Housing for an airfield inset runway light

ABSTRACT

In a housing for an airfield inset runway light the upper and the lower parts of the housing are connected by means of screws and clamping members supported thereby and rotatable by means of the screws between two positions limited by stops, in one of which the clamping members project laterally from the upper part of the housing and engage the lower surface of an unbroken circumferential flange provided in the lower part of the housing and in the other of which the clamping members are turned clear of the inner surface of the flange.

United States Patent Vilshammer Sept. 5, 1972 [54] HOUSING FOR AN AIRFIELD INSET RUNWAY LIGHT Theodor Vilshammer, Denmark Aktieselskabet Laur Knudsen, Nordisk Elektricitets Selskab, Copenhagen, Denmark Filed: Dec. 8, 1970 Appl. No.: 96,069

Inventor: Hvidovre,

[73] Assignee:

Field of Search .....240/1.2; 292/256.73; 151/61; 85/1 K References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,501,627 3/1970 Macemon ..240/1.2 2,772,906 12/1956 Esmond ..292/256.73 X 2,370,227 2/ 1945 Bruder ..85/1 K Primary ExaminerS. Clement Swisher Assistant Examiner-Daniel M. Yasich AttorneyWatson, Cole, Gn'ndle & Watson [5 7] ABSTRACT In a housing for an airfield inset runway light the upper and the lower parts of the housing are connected by means of screws and clamping members supported thereby and rotatable by means of the screws between two positions limited by stops, in one of which the clamping members project laterally from the upper part of the housing and engage the lower surface of an unbroken circumferential flange provided in the lower part of the housing and in the other of which the clamping members are turned clear of the inner surface of the flange.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures W ,7 I: l

HOUSING FOR AN AIRFIELD INSET RUNWAY LIGHT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a housing for an airfield inset runway light, said housing comprising a cover-like upper part and a bowl-like lower part, both being of circular cross-sectional shape in horizontal section and being mutually rotatable about a vertical axis, said parts being connected with one another by means of screws and clamping members, each clamping member being adapted to be clamped against a downwardly facing abutment surface of said lower housing part and a downwardly facing abutment surface of said upper housing part of rotation of its associated screw.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a housing of the kind referred to in which the upper housing part can be inserted into the lower housing part in any angular position relative thereto and can be clamped in this position or rotated to any other angular position. The advantage of such an arrangement is that when the light is to be built into a runway or taxi-way the lower housing part can be mounted e.g. embedded without considering its orientation about the vertical axis. The desired direction of radiation from the light is obtained by rotating the upper housing part to the appropriate position and then clamping it. To achieve this, according to the invention, each clamping member is rotatable about the axis of its associated screw together with that screw, between a first end position defined by a first stop face of the upper housing part in which the clamping member is present under the downwardly facing abutment surfaces of both housing parts, and a second end position, defined by a second stop face, in which the clamping member is withdrawn from under the downwardly facing abutment surface of said lower housing part, the clamping member being movable to said first end position by turning of the screw in the clamping direction. When mounting the upper housing part in the lower housing part, each clamping member is turned to the end position, in which it is non-engageable with the downwardly facing abutment surface of the lower housing part, if it does not beforehand assume that position. The upper housing part is now placed in the lower housing part and the screw is turned in the tightening direction by means of a wrench. Thereby the clamping member is rotated in under the downwardly facing abutment surface of the lower housing part undtil it is stopped in the second end position by the corresponding stop face. Upon continued turning of the screw, the clamping member is clamped against the abutment surfaces, whereby the upper housing part is clamped to the lower housing part.

In a simple embodiment of the invention, the clamping member consists of a bar of rectangular cross section, said bar being provided substantially at the middle thereof with a threaded hole extending perpendicularly to two opposite surfaces of said bar, the inner thread of said hole matching with the outer thread of said screw. Owing to the simplicity of this arrangement the manufacturing costs may be kept very low.

In another embodiment of the invention said clampside facing downwards, a non-threaded hole for the passage of the screw being provided in the body of said channel bar, said hole being terminated by a spherical surface at its lower end, a nut being provided on the end of the screw extending downwards through said hole, said nut being received between the legs of said channel bar and being constructed at its upper end with a spherical surface matching with that of said hole, the distance between the legs of said channel bar being smaller than the maximum diameter of said nut. By this arrangement the clamping member may be permitted to assume a position slightly inclined in any direction, the spherical surfaces ensuring that the screw will only be subjected to tensile stresses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a vertical radial section through the outer portion of a housing according to a first embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 a section along the line II--lI in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a section similar to that in FIG. 1 through a housing according to a second embodiment of the invention, the section being taken through the diametrically opposite portion of the housing, and

FIG. 4 a section along the line IV-lV in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The housing shown in the drawing consists of a bowllike lower housing part 1 and a cover-like upper housing part 2, both having a circular horizontal cross-section. The upper housing part 2 is attached to the lower housing part 1 by means of a plurality of screws 3. Between the edges of the lower housing part 1 and the upper housing part 2 there is provided a sealing ring 4. The heads of the screws 3 are countersunk into the upper face of the upper housing part 2 so that they do not extend above the latter.

Each screw extends through a clamping member 5, which in the first embodiment, see FIGS. 1 and 2, consists of a bar of rectangular section. The screw 3 is screwed through the clamping member 5 in a threaded hole extending therethrough. On the lower end of the screw 3 there is mounted a resilient locking ring 6 preventing the screw 3 from being screwed out of the clamping member 5. The lower housing part 1 has an inner circumferential flange 7, the upper face of which supports the sealing ring 4 and the lower face of which serves as an abutment surface for one end of the clamp ing member 5. In the lower face of the upper housing part 2 there is provided a compartment 8 to receive the clamping member 5. The compartment 8 is constructed with a first stop face 9 and a second stop face 10 substantially perpendicular thereto, said stops defining two end positions of the angular movement of the clamping member 5, viz. a first end position (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2), in which the clamping member 5 extends outwards to be engageable below the flange 7, and a second end position (shown in full lines in FIG. 2), in which the clamping members is turned fully into the compartment 8 and is non-engageable below the fiange.7. In the upper housing part 2 an abutment surface 11 is provided for the other end of the clamping member 5.

When mounting the upper housing part 2 in the' lower housing part 1 care is taken that each clamping member 5 has been screwed sufficiently far downwards along the screw 3 to permit it to be turned in under the flange 7. Moreover, the clamping member 5 should assume the position shown in full lines in FIG. 2. When the upper housing part 2 has been placed in the lower housing part 1, the screw is tightened whereby the clamping member 5 follows the screw in its turning movement until the clamping member strikes the stop face 9 (the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2). Upon continued turning of the screw 3, the clamping member 5 is pulled into engagement with the flange 7 and the abutment surface 11 by virtue of its screwthread, whereby the upper housing part 2 is clamped to the lower housing part 1. For dismounting the screw 3 is just turned in the opposite direction.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the screw can only be subjected to tensile stresses, even if the clamping member 12 were to assume a position slightly inclined in any direction. This is obtained by constructing the clamping member 12 as a downwardly open channel bar having a smooth passage hole 13 ending in a downwardly facing spherical seat 14. Between the legs 16,17 of the channel bar a nut 15 is provided, which is threadedly engaged with the screw and is provided at its upper end with a spherical seat matching with the spherical surface 14. The spherical surface permits the screw to assume positions at a slight inclination in any direction. The distance between the inner surfaces of the two legs 16,17 of the channel bar is only slightly greater than the distance between two opposite surfaces of the nut 15 so that the nut 15 cannot be turned without taking the clamping member along.

If, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a possibility exists of the clamping member 5 assuming a relatively great inclination, the lower face of the head of the screw 3 may be constructed as a spherical surface nested in a matching spherical seat in the upper face of the upper housing part 2.

lclaim 1. A housing for an airfield inset runway light, said housing comprising a cover-like upper part and a bowllike lower part, both being of circular cross-sectional shape in horizontal section, said housing parts being connectable to one another be means of a plurality of screws and corresponding clamping members, said screws extending through holes in said upper housing part near the periphery thereof and supporting the clamping members at the lower ends of the screws, a compartment being provided along the periphery of said upper housing part for each said clamping member, each compartment being defined by an upper horizontal abutment surface and two vertical abutment walls extending perpendicular to each other, each said compartment being dimensioned so as to accommodate the corresponding clamping member totally inside the periphery of said upper housing part in one position of said clamping member, wherein said clamping member abuts one of said vertical abutment walls and to accommodate one end only of said clamping member in another position of said clamping member, wherein said clamping member abuts the other of said vertical abutment walls, and the other end of said clamping member extends radially outwardly form the corresponding compartment; said lower housing part comprising a circular flange extending along the inner wall of said lower housing part, the lower surface of said flange being arranged at the same level as said upper horizontal abutment surfaces of said compartments in the mounted position of said upper housing part with respect to said lower housing part, said flange moreover being spaced from each said upper horizontal abutment surfaces in said mounted position a distance which is less than the length of said clamping members, each of said clamping members being rotatable from said first position to said other position and vice versa by means of the corresponding screw.

2. A housing as in claim 1, in which said clamping member consists of a bar of rectangular cross section, said bar being provided substantially at the middle of the length of said bar with a threaded hole extending perpendicularly to two opposite surfaces of said bar, the inner thread of said hole matching with the outer thread of said screw.

3. A housing as in claim 1, in which said clamping member consists of a channel bar having its open side facing downwards, a non-threaded hole for the passage of the screw being provided in the body of said channel bar, said hole ending in a spherical seat at its lower end, a nut being provided on the end of the screw extending downwards through said hole, said nut being received between the legs of said channel bar and being constructed at its upper end with a spherical surface matching with that of said seat, the distance between the legs of said channel bar being smaller than the maximum diameter of said nut. 

1. A housing for an airfield inset runway light, said housing comprising a cover-like upper part and a bowl-like lower part, both being of circular cross-sectional shape in horizontal section, said housing parts being connectable to one another be means of a plurality of screws and corresponding clamping members, said screws extending through holes in said upper housing part near the periphery thereof and supporting the clamping members at the lower ends of the screws, a compartment being provided along the periphery of said upper housing part for each said clamping member, each compartment being defined by an upper horizontal abutment surface and two vertical abutment walls extending perpendicular to each other, each said compartment being dimensioned so as to accommodate the corresponding clamping member totally inside the periphery of said upper housing part in one position of said clamping member, wherein said clamping member abuts one of said vertical abutment walls and to accommodate one end only of said clamping member in another position of said clamping member, wherein said clamping member abuts the other of said vertical abutment walls, and the other end of said clamping member extends radially outwardly form the corresponding compartment; said lower housing part comprising a circular flange extending along the inner wall of said lower housing part, the lower surface of said flange being arranged at the same level as said upper horizontal abutment surfaces of said compartments in the mounted position of said upper housing part with respect to said lower housing part, said flange moreover being spaced from each said upper horizontal abutment surfaces in said mounted position a distance which is less than the length of said clamping members, each of said clamping members being rotatable from said first position to said other position and vice versa by means of the corresponding screw.
 2. A housing as in claim 1, in which said clamping member consists of a bar of rectangular cross section, said bar being provided substantially at the middle of the length of said bar with a threaded hole extending perpendicularly to two opposite surfaces of said bar, the inner thread of said hole matching with the outer thread of said screw.
 3. A housing as in claim 1, in which said clamping member consists of a channel bar having its open side facing dOwnwards, a non-threaded hole for the passage of the screw being provided in the body of said channel bar, said hole ending in a spherical seat at its lower end, a nut being provided on the end of the screw extending downwards through said hole, said nut being received between the legs of said channel bar and being constructed at its upper end with a spherical surface matching with that of said seat, the distance between the legs of said channel bar being smaller than the maximum diameter of said nut. 